The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book Ninety-Five

Every week I receive dozens of packages and boxes of books, and my daughter and I have a terrific time opening everything and exclaiming over the books I have been sent. Recently I got a big box from Random House, and one of the books in the box was today's picture book title. The moment I saw the cover I was intrigued. It shows a picture of the Eiffel Tower (I love Paris), and two cartoon cats riding a bicycle ( I love cats and cartoons.) When I read Ollie and Moon yesterday I found out that it is just as good on the inside as it is on the outside. What a wonderful way to start a new week.

Ollie and Moon

Diane Kredensor

Photographs by Sandra Kress

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Random House, 2011, 978-0-375-86698-2

   Ollie and Moon are a pair of cats who live in Paris and they are the best of friends. Ollie loves to surprise Moon, and Moon loves Ollie’s surprises. Actually, what Moon really enjoys is “trying to guess” what Ollie’s surprises are.

   One day Ollie arrives at Moon’s house and he buzzes his friend’s intercom. Ollie tells Moon that he has a surprise for her. Of course, Moon is delighted to hear this, and soon the two friends are walking through the streets of Paris so that Ollie can show Moon his surprise.

   On the way, Ollie gets hungry, so the friends stop at a cheese shop (there are lots of cheese shops in Paris) and Ollie gets some Brie to snack on. Ollie tells Moon that her surprise is round, just like the Brie. In the Metro (this is what they call the subway in Paris) Ollie does some funky dance moves for his friend and he tells her that his surprise is musical. Now Moon knows that her surprise is round and it is musical. What other hints is Ollie going to give Moon as they travel around Paris? When is he going to tell her what her surprise is?

   In this unique and utterly charming picture book, young readers will get to meet a pair of cats who are the best of friends. Ollie goes out of his way to give his friend Moon a surprise that she will never forget.

   Using photos of Paris that are overlaid with comic style illustrations, Diane Kredensor gives her readers a wonderful adventure that will keep them guessing. In addition, young readers will get to enjoy a bookish mini tour of Paris. Ahhh, c’est magnifique!  

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book Ninety-Four

Recently my family and I vacationed on the island of Kauai. We enjoyed the beach, admired the palm trees and the orchids, and we ate lots of seafood. We also were amazed to discover that the island is overrun with feral chickens. Truly. Everywhere you go there are wild chickens pecking for food, walking around, and crowing. The cocks seem to have to sense of time, so they crow all day long. Having dogged chickens for ten days, it seemed fitting to review a book about a very large chicken who has a unique problem. If you need a little humor in your life, then this is the book for you.

Chicken Big

Keith Graves

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 8

Chronicle Books, 2010, 978-0-8118-7237-9

   One day a chicken that lives in an “itty-bitty” coop on a “teeny” farm lays an absolutely enormous egg, and when the egg hatches an enormous chick pops out. None of the chickens in the coop know what the chick is. Then one not very bright chicken suggests that the chick is an elephant, and all the chickens decided that the “indoor elephant” is much too big to live in the coop. The poor chick is forced to leave the coop and he thinks about how he doesn’t “feel like an elephant.”

 The humongous chick soon learns that the chickens are not very clever at all. In turn, they think that the humongous chick is a squirrel, an umbrella, and a sweater. They simply cannot understand that the chick is actually a chick, albeit a very very large one. How is the humongous chick going to show the chickens that he is actually one of them?

   Young readers are sure to enjoy this loud-out-loud funny picture book with its often ridiculous characters and its unique artwork. They will find it hard to resist the gargantuan chick who wants so much to be recognized for what he really is. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book Ninety-Three

Almost every morning I have to remind my daughter to make her bed, and almost every morning she rolls her eyes and sighs as she goes to her room to complete the onerous task. Today's picture book takes a look at how generations of children in one family have complained about having to make their bed, and how generations of mothers have dealt with their complaints. I guess some things are truly timeless and universal.

Why do I have to make my bed? Or, a history of messy rooms

Wade Bradford

Illustrations by Johnna van der Sterre

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 6

Random House, 2011, 978-1-58246-327-8

   One day a little boy asks his mother, “Why do I have to make my bed?” He has done all his other chores and he does not understand why he has to make his bed if it is “just going to get messed up again.”

   In response to this question, the little boy’s mother tells him that his question reminds her of a story about his grandmother. When she was little, the little boy’s grandmother did all her chores but she complained about having to make her bed. Her mother told her that she is not the only one to complain about having to make her bed; her grandfather did the exact same thing! After fetching water from the pump, dusting the phonograph, and picking up his toys he asked his mother, “Pray tell, Mother, why do I have to make my bed?”

   Generations of children in the little boy’s family have asked this question over the years. A girl in 1801 asks the question, a boy in 1762 asks the question, a girl in 1630 asks the question, and so it goes until a boy in 40,000 B.C. asks “Why me have to make bed?” What will his mother say?

   This amusing picture book explores the idea that some things never change. For hundreds and hundreds of years children have complained about having to make their beds, and for hundreds of years their mothers have been giving them the same answer.

   At the back of this book, the author provides his readers will information about Chores Through the Ages, which will show children that the chores that they do now, in the 21^st century, are a great deal easier than the ones that their ancestors had to do. Imagine having to plow fields, carry water from the pump or river, and collect cattle droppings to use as fuel for a fire! Perhaps making a bed is not so bad after all.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book Ninety-Two

When I was growing up one of my favorite subjects in school was geography. It distresses me to no end that my daughter is not being taught much in the way of geography in school, so I try to supplement her reading with books about distant places. Today's picture book is about how one young student's imagination takes him on a very unique journey around the world. I like the fact that the author includes lots of information about real seas and oceans at the back of the book. 

The Seven Seas

Ellen Jackson

Illustrated by Bill Slavin and Esperanca Melo

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 8

Eerdmans, 2011, 978-0-8028-5341-7

   A young white rabbit student is sitting in class when his teacher announces that they are going to learn about the Black Sea and the Red Sea. As Mrs. Martin talks and talks and talks, the student’s thoughts start to wander and soon he is no longer in his classroom. Instead, he is exploring the seven seas and all the lands around them “by train, by boat, by plane.”

    After travelling to Marrakesh in a bus, to Peru in a taxi, to Istanbul on a mule, and to Timbuktu on a yak, the little rabbit learns that it is said that the Yellow Sea is made of lemonade and that it is “quite all right to sip.” He sees that the Green Sea is full of broccoli that is twelve feet tall. The Red Sea looks like “pizza sauce,” and the Brown Sea is “made of chocolate. The Black Sea is also sweet and tasty to eat because it is made of licorice. What else will he discover on his journey? What will the Purple and Pink Seas be like?

   Learning about the Seven Seas and what they are like takes on a whole new meaning in this wonderfully amusing picture book. With its rhyming text and its funny illustrations, this book shows to great effect how vital it is to have an active imagination.

   At the end of the book, the author includes an informative section (with a map) that looks at the real Seven Seas. She also includes general information about what seas are, why they are blue, and more.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book Ninety-One

Finding the courage to stick your neck out and be who you are, fashion-wise, is not easy. Many of us would rather fade into the background and not get noticed. Today you are going to meet a little girl who is determined to find a hairstyle that is different and memorable. 

Big Bouffant

Kate Hosford

Illustrations by Holly Clifton-Brown

Picture book

For ages 5 to 7

Lerner, 2011, 978-0-7613-5409-3

   It is the first day of school, and Annabelle is much disheartened when she sees that the girls in her class all have “ponytails and braids.” She decides that what her class needs is “some fashion” and “some fun,” so she sets out to find a hairdo that will bring a little pizzazz into her classroom.

   When she gets home, Annabelle notices a photograph of her grandmother who has “a marvelous tower of hair.” Annabelle begs her mother to arrange her hair in a bouffant that is as big as possible. Her mother responds by creating several other dos for Annabelle, none of which satisfy the little girl. Clearly, if she wants a bouffant, she is going to have to “do it myself,” which is when Annabelle finds out that it is not easy to create a bouffant that does not fall down, slip, or tip. Who knew that it would be so hard to create a fashionable hairstyle.

   This charming picture book with its delightful rhymes and its unique multimedia illustrations, is a tribute to all those young people who have the courage to be different and creative. They dare to follow their inclinations, and make the world a more colorful and interesting place in the process. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book Ninety

When I was a little girl I was, unfortunately, the kind of child who was bullied. I did not stand up for myself, nor did I ever have the courage to say "NO!" when I needed to. These days  parents, teachers, and school staff in many towns and cities are trying to find creative ways to put a stop to bullying. It is easy to say that a school has a "no bullying policy" but it is another thing altogether to try to enforce that policy.

In today's book you will meet a bully, and you will also meet two girls who stand up to her. This is a book that every young child should read because it shows to great effect that they can say no to a bully; they can change the situation without having to resort to violence.

You’re Mean Lily Jean

Frieda Wishinsky

Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

Picture Book

Albert Whitman, 2011, 978-0-8075-9476-6

   Carly and her big sister Sandy play together all the time. They have wonderful adventures as they pretend to be dragons, knight, explorers, pirates, mountain climbers, and astronauts. Then one day Lily Jean moves in next door, and everything changes.

   Lily Jean suggests that she and Sandy should play house. Not surprisingly, Carly wants to play too, but Lily Jean says “No.” The only way Carly can play house is if she agrees to be the baby, which she consents to do, even though she does not really want to crawl around on her hands and knees.

   The next day Lily Jean comes over and she suggests that she and Sandy should play cowgirls. When Carly asks if she can play too, Lily Jean tells her that she can be the cow. Sandy suggests that they should have three cowgirls in their game, but Lily Jean insists that three cowgirls “are too many.” Reluctantly Carly plays the part of the cow, mooing and eating grass. Is she always going to have the crummy parts in their games? How long should she put up with “mean” Lily Jean and her mean ways?

   Wherever you go, you are going to find children like Lily Jean who are bossy and who like to be mean. They like to make other children feel small and left out, and it is not easy to know how to deal with them. Should one accept their demands or say “No.”

   With sensitivity and care, Frieda Wishinsky shows children how to deal with the Lily Jeans of this world. As they read the story, they will discover that there is even a way to turn a bully into a friend. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book Eighty-Nine

Every parent, caregiver, or teacher is used to having their advice ignored. As a result, heads are bumped, fingers are burned on hot pans, pocket money is misplaced, goldfish expire, and so on. You get the idea I am sure. In today's picture book you will meet a child who ignores his mother's warning about what not to do on Doodleday, and he learns a valuable lesson. 

Doodleday

Ross Collins

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 8

Albert Whitman, 2011, 978-0-8075-1683-6

   Harvey’s mom is going to the store and she tells Harvey not to disturb his father. Harvey tells her that he will “just do some drawing,” which makes his mother completely freak out! Apparently it is “Doodleday” and “Nobody draws on Doodleday and that’’s that.”

   After his mother leaves, Harvey takes out some pencils and…yes indeed…he draws a picture. He draws a picture of a big blue “Fat…and hairy” fly. To Harvey’s horror, his picture becomes a huge (as in as big as a small cow) fat and hairy fly doddle that flies around and creates havoc in the kitchen. What is Harvey to do?

   Quickly Harvey draws a big purple hairy spider. Everyone knows that spiders eat flies. Right? Wrong. Harvey’s doodle spider is not interesting in the fly. Instead, it is interested in Harvey’s dad, and soon the poor man is trussed up and unable to move. Clearly, Harvey has a lot to learn about the dangers of Doddleday.

   This wonderful picture book will delight young artists and make readers of all ages laugh out loud. With its expressive illustrations (complete with pencil doodles) and its unique story, this is a book that children will want to read again and again. 

The 2011 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is announced.

Every year the Swedish Arts Council awards a prize, which amounts to 5 million Swedish Kronor, to a person or people who have made a significant contribution to the world of children's literature. The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) is the world’s largest prize for children’s and young adult literature. 

Authors, illustrators, oral storytellers and those active in reading promotion may be rewarded. The award is designed to promote interest in children’s and young adult literature, and in children’s rights, globally. An expert jury selects the winners from candidates nominated by institutions and organisations worldwide.

This year the winner of the prize is Shaun Tan.The citation issued by the jury reads:

Shaun Tan is a masterly visual storyteller, pointing the way ahead to new possibilities for picture books. His pictorial worlds constitute a separate universe where nothing is self-evident and anything is possible. Memories of childhood and adolescence are fixed reference points, but the pictorial narrative is universal and touches everyone, regardless of age.

Behind a wealth of minutely detailed pictures, where civilization is criticized and history depicted through symbolism, there is a palpable warmth. People are always present, and Shaun Tan portrays both our searching and our alienation. He combines brilliant, magical narrative skill with deep humanism.

Shaun Tan has illustrated more than 20 books, notable among them The Rabbits (1998), The Lost Thing (2000), The Red Tree (2001), The Arrival (2006) and Tales from Outer Suburbia (2008).

Shaun Tan has reinvented the picture book by creating visually spectacular pictorial narratives with a constant human presence. He uses a variety of means of artistic expression: lead pencil, Indian ink, coloured pencil, painting and various print techniques. Shaun Tan sees every book as an experiment in visual and verbal storytelling.

Shaun Tan also collaborates on animated film, musical and theatrical adaptations of his works, as well as producing fine art and murals.

Shaun Tan has received a number of literary awards, including the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 2009 for Tales from Outer Suburbia and a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books award in 2007 for The Arrival. At this year’s Academy Awards, Shaun Tan won the Oscar for best animated short film for The Lost Thing, based on his book of the same title.

His works have been translated into more than 10 languages, including German, Swedish, Spanish and Chinese.

Read more about Shaun Tan on www.alma.se/en

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book Eighty-Eight

Suma and Sara on my work desk in their basket

I truly identify with the human character that you will meet in the book I reviewed below. Like Miss Wright, I work alone at home tapping out words on my computer. It is sometimes a lonely business being a writer, but I certainly don't lack for companionship. Just yesterday I had two cats and three dogs in my office with me. When I test out a sentence by reading it out loud, many furry heads look up to see what I am up to. I even have a basket on my desk that the two cats sometimes share. This is rather ridiculous because the basket is really too small for two cats (one of whom is rather well padded), but they do this anyway. Though this book is of course for children, adults will also greatly enjoy it.

A pet for Miss Wright

Judy Young

Illustrated by Andrea Wesson

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Sleeping Bear Press, 2011, 978-1-58536-509-8

   Miss Wright is an author who lives in a little house on the beach. She has all kinds of adventures in the stories that she writes, but her life is very quiet and rather lonely, so she decides that she needs “something to keep me company,” and so she goes to the local pet store.

   The man at the pet store gives Miss Wright a mynah bird because he thinks that the talking bird will be the perfect companion. Unfortunately, the mynah bird does not turn out to be a good fit because the only sound it makes is to mimic the tap tapping sounds of computer keys.

   Miss Wright then brings home a monkey, which is more of a nuisance than anything else. A fish distracts Miss Wright so much that she does not write anything, a hamster running in its wheel makes her dizzy, and a cat lies across her keyboard making it impossible for her to work. Miss Wright is determined that a pet is not the answer to her problem, and then the pet shop man gives her a dog. Miss Wright does not think that the dog is going to suit her either, but she gives it a try all the same. Little does she know that the dog is going to be a bigger asset than she ever imagined.

   In this delightful picture book, we meet a lonely writer who finds that having a dog in your life can be very rewarding indeed. With wonderful illustrations and delightful characters that will appeal to readers of all ages, this is a picture book that will warm the heart and put a smile on a face. 

Scribbling Women Blog Tour

Today I have a special treat for you. I am participating in a blog book tour for Scribbling Women, a book by Marthe Jocelyn. The book is perfect for Women's History Month, and I highly recommend it. Here is my review.

Scribbling Women: True Tales from Astonishing Lives

Marthe Jocelyn

Nonfiction

For ages 12 and up

Tundra Books, 2011, 978-0887769528

   For hundreds of years, women have used the written word to connect with friends and family members, to capture their thoughts, to share their lives with others, and to share ideas that they cared about. Often many of these “scribblings” disappeared, and we have no idea what the women said. However, sometimes their words were preserved on purpose or by accident, and we can now read these women’s writings many years after they died.

   For this book, Marthe Jocelyn has written about eleven women from around the world who wrote letters, journals, or books that we are still able to read today. She begins by looking at the life and writings of Sei Shonagon, a lady-in-waiting who served in the imperial court of Japan in the tenth century. Sei wrote what is called The Pillow Book, which is a kind of journal filled with a collection of lists, gossip, poetry, observations, complaints, and descriptions. Her writings capture her keen intelligence and her often caustic wit. Thanks to Sei we have a better understanding what it was like to live in the imperial court of Japan so long ago.

   Similarly, the letters that Margaret Catchpole wrote show us what life in the penal colony in Sydney, Australia, was like in the early 1800’s. Margaret stole a horse, and for this crime, she was transported to Australia where she spent the rest of her life. Though she was not educated, she wrote letters to a friend back in England, describing her new life and the trials that she had to bear. Margaret’s personality comes through in her letters, and one can almost hear her voice as one reads the phonetically spelled words she wrote.

   Isabella Beeton’s famous Book of Household Management had a profound effect on the lives of women living in Britain in the 19^th century. Her comprehensive book contains 2,751 entries, which includes recipes, household tips, information about food, household management advice and much more. Isabella’s goal was to create a work that women would be able be able to use so that their homes were efficiently run, economical, and homey. She changed the way cook books were written, and helped countless women tolearn the complicated business of running a household.

   Readers who are interested in the stories of women from history will be fascinated by this book, as will readers who like to read about writers and the impact their writings have. Marthe Jocelyn tells the stories of women who scribbled in books and on pieces of paper long ago, and also not so long ago. Some of the women were famous like Isabella Beeton, Nellie Bly and Mary Kingsley, while others lived quiet more domestic lives. She shows us that these “scribblings” are truly precious, and that we have much to learn from them.

   Packed with interesting details about the times that the eleven women lived in, and with numerous quotes from their writings throughout, this is a book that will inspire both young and adult readers.

Here are some of the books that were written by the women mentioned in Scribbling Women. I thought some of you might be interested in taking a trip into the past by reading a few of these titles.

Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management by Isabella Beeton

The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagen

The young Visiters or Mr. Salteena's Plan by Daisy Ashford

Around the world in 72 Days by Nellie Bly

Last Night I dreamed of peace: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram

Travels in West Africa by Mary Kingley

Caprice: A Stockman's Daughter by Doris Pilkington Garimara

Incidents in the life of a slave girl by Harriet Jacobs


Please visit the other stops of the blog tour. You will find a list of the stops on the Tundra Scribbling Women Blog Tour page.