Edwards, Pamela Duncan. The Leprechaun’s Gold. Illus. Henry Cole. New York: Katherine Tegen Books-HarperCollins, 2004. (6-8; 9-12)
Old Pat, who is rich in friends, and Young Tom, who is rich in silver, travel together to the Royal Palace to earn the title of “The Finest Harpist In Ireland.” Young Tom pulls a fast one on Old Pat and tries to ruin his chances of winning the contest, but with the help of Old Pat’s newfound friends, gained through his generosity, Young Tom learns a lesson in kindness.
Cole’s illustrations are both colorful and perfectly lively for this Irish tale. The cool blues and greens match the mood of the story and the detailed facial expressions reflect events in the plot.
This book not only taught a good message but was also well received in read aloud sessions. The children and readers loved the pictures, especially the borders. The book was “fun and unpredictable,” which really kept the attention of children. After the story was over, children enjoyed searching for sixteen hidden four-leaf clovers. Teachers felt this activity helped students gain a deeper appreciate for the artwork.
Pamela Duncan Edwards lives in Vienna, Virginia, while illustrator Henry Cole resides in Florida. SEAN LEWIS/BRITTANY LAZUR
Ellery,Tom, and Amanda Ellery. If I Had a Dragon. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. (Toddlers-5; 6-8)
“Morton, play with your brother!” After hearing his mother’s request, Morton wishes there was a way his toddler brother could turn into something more fun to play with. A bulldozer? A kite? Morton decides the most fun would be if his brother turned into a dragon! However, Morton soon finds his brother-turned-dragon to be less fun than he imagined. When they play basketball, all of Morton’s shots get blocked by the big green wings. When they try swimming, the water is unseen because the dragon fills the entire pool. When they try to whistle, the fire-breathing dragon starts Morton’s hair on fire! In the end Morton concludes his toddler brother is not so bad after all.
Children were attracted to the full page illustrations in charcoal, ink, and watercolor. The facial expressions of the characters are richly animated. After hearing the story read aloud, first grade students had lots of conversation about the pictures and the dragon’s activities. Young students laughed through the story, pointed to interesting details, and later pretended they were dragons.
Tom and Amanda Ellery live in Santa Clarita, California with three little Mortons of their own. ASHLEY ROEMER
Emmett, Jonathan. Someone Bigger. Illus. Adrian Reynolds. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. (Toddlers-5; 6-8)
Sam and his father have just finished their masterpiece of a kite, and even though Sam begs to take it out on its first flight, his dad refuses because “someone bigger” must test it out first. With that settled, Dad begins the take-off and suddenly the kite lifts him off the ground. Everyone in town, along with a few zoo animals, attempts to bring the kite back to the ground, but instead they are all flying above Sam’s head. Even through Sam continues to volunteer to bring down the kite, everyone tells him: “‘No, you’re too small . . . . This kite needs someone bigger.’” Finally Sam realizes that he must save the day and grabs hold of the string and stays put, saving everyone from floating away.
Children enjoyed this book. The humor had the children laughing throughout the story. The rhyming helped the text to flow easily, and the repetition allowed for audience participation. But most of all, readers and children alike appreciated the moral. Children related to the idea that even though they were young and small, they could still make a difference. Children and adults liked the bright, clear watercolor illustrations that added so much excitement to the story. Children asked for the book to be read again and some wanted to check it out of the library.
Both Jonathon Emmett and Adrian Reynolds live in England. SEAN LEWIS/BRITTANY LAZUR
Eriksson, Eva. A Crash Course for Molly. Trans. Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard. New York: R&S Books, 2005. (Toddlers-5; 6-8)
Young Molly’s early experiences with bike riding can truly be considered crash courses! Molly, a bicycle riding pig and her grandmother who incidentally happens to be a dog, decide to venture out for a leisurely bike ride and despite her grandma’s warnings, Molly runs into whatever she sees. Her bike riding problem is fixed though, when Molly runs smack dab right into the town’s driving instructor who kindly teaches her that when she is riding past something, to not stare at it. Molly puts her new skills into action by biking past some neighborhood kids and now can even consider herself a better bike rider than Grandma. Simple pencil drawings using cool colors such as greens and blues, give this story the element of innocence that the text evokes.
This story was read to children ranging in age from three to seven years old and can be easily summed up as a story that many children relate to during this period of childhood as they learn to ride a bicycle. The ending sparked spontaneous laughter as Grandma had a run in with the same pole that Molly did in the beginning of the story.
Author Eva Eriksson, who resides in Sweden, was honored with the 2001 Astrid Lindgren Award. CHRISTINE FALZON
Esbaum, Jill. Stink Soup. Illus. Roger Roth. New York: Farrar, Straus Giroux, 2004. (6-8; 9-12)
Annabelle and her younger brother, Willie, are going to Granny’s house for the week. Their mother makes Annabelle promise to keep Willie out of trouble while they are there, which would be easy except that “Willie and trouble went together like biscuits and gravy.” Granny has expectations of her own on the farm; Annabelle, who hates tomatoes, will be making tomato juice from start to finish for the whole week. After a week of dealing with a naughty little brother and yucky tomatoes, Annabelle’s work suddenly comes in handy in the most unexpected of ways. When all three of them get sprayed by a skunk, Granny’s jars of tomato juice come in handy for stink soup baths. Realistic watercolor and graphite illustrations by Roth capture just the right action on each set of pages.
Readers and children alike reported that this book was hilarious. They commented on how the illustrations were funny and enjoyable and actually got better as the story went along. Children and readers also commented on the writing style with words such as “dickens” and “polecat.” Children of different ages were able to connect the story to their own lives, either on farms, with grandmothers, or dealing with pesky younger siblings.
Jill Esbaum lives on a farm in eastern Iowa, and Roger Roth is from Springfield, Pennsylvania. SEAN LEWIS/BRITTANY LAZUR
Fagan, Cary. Thing-Thing. Illus. Nicolas Debon. Plattsburgh: Tundra Books, 2008. (6-8; 9-12)
Thing-Thing is not a toy rabbit, or a stuffed squirrel, or a Teddy Bear. It is something like all of these things, but it does not know exactly what it is. However, it does know what it wants—a nice child that will love it, talk to it, and take care of it. After a spoiled little boy named Archibald Crimp is given Thing-Thing for his birthday, he throws it out of a hotel window in disgust. Thing-Thing falls through the air, worrying about what is going to happen when hitting the ground. It looks through windows and sees different people going about their lives, and all the people look back at Thing-Thing as he descends through the air. As it gets closer and closer to the ground, Thing-Thing gets more and more worried, until it lands in something soft and warm—a baby carriage. In a touching last moment, Thing-Thing gets its wish, feeling five little fingers stroke his ear and realizing, finally, that someone cares for him.
Debon’s artistic illustrations in gouache paint on textured Arches paper are energetic and stylized. Debon’s thick brushstrokes and descriptive lines give the pages personality and charm. The perspectives in the story are numerous; Debon plays with a variety of viewpoints, always challenging and exciting the eye of the reader. With his detailing of the character’s eyes and stylization of the body, Debon captures the endearing personality of Thing-Thing with humor and grace. Some of the text is uniquely placed on the page, such as vertically or in ovals.
When hearing this book read aloud, children in grades two through six laughed, applauded, and made positive comments about the book. Many children felt the suspense and anticipation build as Thing-Thing fell down the hotel floor levels, and they loved reading about the interesting side stories of the people inside the rooms. Teachers commented that the book elicited discussion about Archibald’s poor attitude, and appreciated that the book was about finding a home. After reading the book, one second grade teacher even had students create their own Thing-Thing as an art project.
Cary Fagan and Nicholas Debon both live in Toronto. KATIE CLAUSEN
Falconer, Ian. Olivia Helps with Christmas. New York: Atheneum, 2007. (6-8)
Need a little bit of the Christmas spirit? This installment in the Olivia series is jam packed with family holiday fun. The young pig offers to help her mother prepare for the Christmas festivities, at least that is what her mother anticipates. However, Olivia puts her own flare into the chores and creates household chaos. What a joy it is for this family when Santa finally does come. The presents are opened, the meal is eaten, and Olivia decorates a snowman with her younger brother’s clothes! Olivia’s innocent antics are portrayed against a backdrop of gray and white pages. Falconer uses greens and reds to bring out the Christmas spirit and give the illustrations some pizazz. He rendered these illustrations in charcoal and gouache with photography added in from various copyrighted sources.
Children showed intent attention during the read aloud sessions. Readers noted that the illustrations successfully told the story and helped children understand the humor in the text.
Ian Falconer lives in New York City. CHRISTINE FALZON
Faulkner, Matt. A Taste of Colored Water. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008. 2009 Comstock Honor Book (6-8; 9-12)
Two best friends and cousins, LuLu and Jelly, confront the reality of the Civil Rights Movement through the eyes of innocence. After hearing about a colored “water bubbler,” LuLu and Jelly have to see and taste this magical water. The pen and ink and watercolor illustrations depict the hopeful curiosity of the cousins as they imagine what the colored water will be. They have just such an opportunity on a trip to the “big city” of Eden with LuLu’s Uncle Jack. When they finally reach the colored water bubbler at Eden’s City Hall, they become witnesses to a Civil Rights march. Jelly is about to taste the water when a policeman with his furious dog scares the children: “That water ain’t for you. It’s for coloreds!” The story ends with the children safely heading home in Uncle Jack’s truck and asking “what color does a person have to be to get a taste of colored water?” The opening and closing endpapers add another dimension to this thought-provoking story.
Appealing to second through sixth graders, this book inspired conversations on what exactly colored water was and why the cousins weren’t allowed to drink it. After reading the book, students liked “expressing what they learned in school,” about the Civil Rights Movement, “in addition to learning new information.” The illustrationspulled the readers in, helping them to pick up clues that something bad was going to happen. The first person point of view also involved the students and kept them attentive.
Matt Falkner lives in Oakland, California where he teaches illustration at the Art Academy University in San Francisco. KELLEEN O’BRIEN
Feiffer, Kate. Double Pink. Illus. Bruce Ingman. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005. (Toddlers-5; 6-8; 9-12)
Ever since she could say her first words, Madison has had a passion for the color pink. From the clothes and shoes she wears to the color of her bedroom ceiling, Madison has nothing but pink. She even goes so far as to make a birthday wish that everything in the world was pink, or even “double pink.” But as more objects turn pink, Madison begins to lose the things she once found important and realizes she may have taken this too far. In order to once again see her brown bear and her green balloon, Madison makes an important decision to end her pink obsession.
Students from the age of two to twelve enjoyed Double Pink. In a naïve style, Ingman uses black line drawings to add detail to the very pink acrylic illustrations. In response to reading the story aloud to children, one adult said, “The simple lines and vibrant colors pull the reader right in. The story line was fun and the main character was a delightful little spit-fire!” Children of all ages can relate to Madison and the experience she has being attached to a specific interest.
Author Kate Feiffer lives in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, and illustrator Bruce Ingman resides in London. ASHLEY ROEMER
Fletcher, Ralph. The Sandman.
Illus. Richard Cowdrey. New York: Henry Holt, 2008. 2009 Wanda Gág
Honor Book. (Toddlers-5; 6-8)
After trying the common remedies of
counting stars and drinking warm milk, Tor cannot fall asleep. The next
day, as the tiny man ventures through the woods, he comes upon a
sparkling green dragon scale. Noticing that one edge is jagged, Tor
brings the scale into his shop to file. As the small sand-like shavings
blow throughout his workshop, Tor suddenly falls asleep. After a long
rest with wonderful dreams, Tor realizes the value in the surprise he
found and grinds up the entire dragon scale. Riding in his mouse-drawn
carriage, Tor journeys throughout the night to sprinkle the special sand
over children with restless eyes. With the many children needing help
to fall asleep, Tor keeps very busy, eventually getting the nickname
“The Sandman.” However, the sand from the dragon scale does not last
forever, forcing the Sandman to set out on a difficult journey to
capture another scale. With success, the Sandman is able to continue
with his bedtime deed. And because “ . . . dragons live forever, there
will never be a shortage of scales.”
Detailed and rich acrylic
illustrations support this mystical, bedtime story. Children from the
ages of two to nine enjoyed searching the pictures to find unique
details, such as a postage stamp hanging on the wall of Tor’s bedroom.
Children also liked the dragon, specifically the large, two-page spread
of the fire-breathing creature. The mouse caught the attention of many
listeners, and many young children thought it was funny that Tor was
pulled around by such a small creature. Adult readers enjoyed the story
just as much, specifically this unique version of how the Sandman does
his work.
Author Ralph Fletcher lives with his family in Lee, New
Hampshire, while illustrator Richard Cowdrey lives in Gambier, Ohio.
ASHLEY ROEMER
Fore, S. J. Tiger Can’t Sleep.
Illus. R.W. Alley. New York: Viking, 2006. (Toddlers-5; 6-8)
What
is a good-natured, tired boy supposed to do when inside his closet, a
tiger is keeping him awake eating potato chips, bouncing balls, doing
cartwheels, tap dancing, and playing musical instruments? As they banter
back and forth, the boy is slowly driven crazy while the poor tiger
can’t sleep. When the boy finally explodes in a flare-up of frustration
and takes away all of the stuff in his closet, he hears the tiger
crying. In an affectionate moment of friendship, the boy decides to let
the tiger sleep in his bed. The two curl up together and it is finally
quiet. That is, until the tiger starts snoring and the boy is, yet
again, wide awake.
Alley’s ink illustrations are simply
delightful. Using short, broken lines and cross-hatching for detail, his
sketch-like, colorful illustrations perfectly complement the energetic
tone of the text. Alley’s ability to capture character and facial
expression bring the story alive. In the span of the book, characters
convey surprise, exasperation, innocence, fear, joy, and finally,
contentment, simply from a few descriptive lines.
This story
with onomatopoetic words, repetitive language, and humorous situations,
is a perfect book to read aloud. Children ages one through seven became
so engaged in this story that they chimed in with the sound effects and
repetitive phrases. They laughed out loud, pointed, clapped, expressed
interest, and did not want this book to end. Teachers commented that
children made predictions about other sounds the tiger could make and
indicated that the book articulates a lesson in sympathy. Overall,
students were entranced with this story of bedtime procrastination.
Tiger Can’t Sleep received perfect ratings from all of the book’s
readers and listeners. This is indeed rare in the read aloud program!
S.
J. Fore lives near Nashville, Tennessee, while illustrator R. W. Alley
lives in Rhode Island with his wife, daughter, and son. KATIE CLAUSEN
Fraser,
Mary Ann. I.Q. Gets Fit.
New York: Walker, 2007. (6-8)
I.Q. the mouse is no ordinary
class pet. When an assembly takes place promoting a “Student Fitness
Challenge,” I.Q. joins his classmates in becoming more healthy and fit.
The ultimate goal for I.Q. is to win a gold ribbon, an award given to
those who pass the fitness test. When the students record the number of
sit ups and pull ups they can do, I.Q. records his information, too.
The mouse’s diet even changes after he notices there are no brownies on
the food pyramid. Using a q-tip for a barbell and a pencil for a
pull-up bar, I.Q. builds his strength and endurance. In the end the
mouse’s scores are much lower than the rest of the students and his hope
begins to dwindle. However, at the final assembly an award is given for
the student who has improved the most, and much to his surprise, I.Q.
is the winner!
The warm illustrations created with colored
pencil, gouache, and pen and ink add humor to this fun, informative
tale. Students in first grade enjoyed this story with the curious,
friendly character of I.Q. Not only is the character fun, but also the
information in the story about nutrition and fitness fits in very well
with curriculum units on the food pyramid.
Author and
illustrator Mary Ann Fraser lives in Simi Valley, California with her
husband, three sons, and their many pets. ASHLEY ROEMER
Frazier,
Craig. Stanley Mows the Lawn.
San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2005. 2006 Wanda Gág Honor Book. (Toddlers-5; 6-8)
When Stanley realizes his grass has
grown too tall, he starts mowing his huge lawn in straight paths with
his push mower. When he hears something moving in the grass, he takes a
closer look and discovers Hank, a friendly looking snake in two shades
of green stripes. Stanley devises a plan to make both Hank and himself
happy. He mows in zigs and zags creating strips of short and tall grass.
The simple text encourages readers to look at the world closely and to
have empathy.
Frazier created computer colored hand drawings,
predominately in a green and brown palette, to show the world from the
point of view of both characters.
Three-year-olds through
seven-year-olds were intrigued by Stanley’s big lawn and all the grass
clippings and were relieved that Hank was safe at the end. Children
liked the varying perspectives shown in the illustrations, as well as
all the shades of green. Adults noticed that the story left many gaps
for discussion.
Author/illustrator Craig Frazier lives with his
family in northern California. CAROL HANSON SIBLEY
French,
Jackie. Pete the Sheep-Sheep. Illus. Bruce Whatley. New York: Clarion
Books, 2004. (6-8; 9-12)
Shaun and Pete have quite the unconventional way of
carrying out their duties as a sheep shearer and sheep herder. While the
local sheep shearers choose a sheep dog as their partner, Shaun has his
“sheep-sheep,” Pete. Rather than herding through growls and barks, Pete
uses polite “baas” to gather the sheep up for their shearing. As Shaun
and Pete’s popularity grows among the herd, the local shearers and their
dogs become upset with this wacky way of doing business. As a result of
their jealousy, the shearers give Shaun the ultimatum of finding a dog
to herd with or to find elsewhere to do his shearing. Shaun stands by
his friend Pete and together they come up with a very interesting way to
use their skills. From a simple shear to quite the career, Shaun and
Pete’s friendship stands strong and their highly demanded hair styles
allow them to open up their very own sheep salon! Whatley’s simple
cartoon pencil and watercolor illustrations, scattered throughout the
text, greatly enhance the humor of this story.
Children
responded to the story with spontaneous laughter. They enjoyed the names
of the local shearers, Ratso, Big Bob, and Bungo and were entertained
with the drawings of the sheep with their new hair styles.
Author
Jackie French and her husband live in the Araluen Valley in Australia,
while illustrator Bruce Whatley and his wife reside in New South Wales. CHRISTINE FALZON
Freyman,
Saxton, et al. Knock, Knock! New York: Dial Books, 2007. (6-8)
Knock,
Knock! Who’s there? A bunch of humorous knock, knock jokes. This
children’s favorite is simply that, hilarious jokes by fourteen wacky
and talented artists. These classic knock, knocks jokes are given a
splash of pizzazz as they are interpreted by different artists from
around the world. The illustrations are in various styles and art
techniques so that the reader gets surprised at every page turn. It
seems that the text itself is in a one-on one battle with its
accompanying illustration in an attempt to find out which one will make
readers laugh the most. It also comes complete with a blurb from the
artists explaining who they would like to see knocking at their doors.
It
was interesting to note that many felt that this was a very
“unexpected” type of read aloud experience. Most children were familiar
with the jokes and enjoyed yelling out “Who’s there?” at the appropriate
time. Reading this story promoted creativity from the students who were
inspired to develop their own personal knock, knock jokes.
CHRISTINE FALZON
Friedman, Laurie. Love, Ruby
Valentine. Illus. Lynne Avril Cravath. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books,
2006. (Toddlers-5; 6-8)
As she awaits her favorite day of the year, Ruby Valentine
counts down the days by making cards, decorating heart-shaped cakes, and
preparing goody-bags for all the townspeople. When February 14th
finally arrives, Ruby is so tired from all of her hard work that she and
her pet cockatoo decide to take a short nap. Much to their dismay, they
wake up the next day having missed Valentine’s Day. Ruby worries that
she will have to wait another whole year before she can pass out her
gifts and tell people she loves them. But after building up her courage,
Ruby distributes her cards and gifts and receives a very wonderful
response in return.
Pastel, cartoon style illustrations capture
Ruby’s joy and excitement as she prepares for Valentine’s Day. Students
found it fun to search for hearts that were hidden on each page.
Children also liked the rhyme in this story and they giggled a lot
during the read aloud, particularly at the mess Ruby made. They also had
many comments after hearing the story and wanted to look more closely
at the pictures.
Author Laurie Friedman lives with her husband
and two children in Coral Gables, Florida. Illustrator Lynne Avril
Cravath grew up in Montana and now lives in Arizona. ASHLEY
ROMER
Fromental, Jean-Luc. 365
Penguins. Illus. Joëlle Jolivet. New York: Abrams Books, 2005. 2006
Wanda Gág Honor Book (Toddlers-5; 6-8)
A family of four receives a special delivery on New Year’s Day, one
penguin from an undisclosed sender. As the year proceeds another penguin
is delivered every day. As the number of penguins increases so do the
family’s problems. How can they house hundreds of penguins? How can they
afford the fish to feed them? How can they keep them cool in the
summer?
This story combines a lesson on global warming with
numerous math problems. For example, Daddy figures out he can store 216
penguins in a cube until penguin 217 is delivered. The story also
becomes a game of “I spy” when blue-footed Chilly penguin arrives. The
large format (37 x 29 centimeters), cartoon-style illustrations in blue,
orange, and black, and the large font size all work well together for a
read aloud. Teachers valued the book for its science and math concepts,
while children liked the humor and enjoyed predicting what will happen
as the family acquires more and more penguins. The book was a hit with
children ages three through nine.
Jean-Luc Fromental and Joëlle Jolivet are both from France. CAROL HANSON SIBLEY