Book reviews

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Wanda Gag, Caldecott Honor
University of Minnesota Press 1938, renewed 1965 Robert Janssen

A longer, more foreboding and rich telling of the story of Snow White.  The illustrations are beautiful and have an old world, wood cut (I think of Albrecht Durer) feeling, beautifully designed and executed. Reading the story it becomes apparent the ties to other stories that are embedded in our childhood conscious, from the Three pigs, to Goldilocks.

Other books by Wanda Gag: Millions of Cats (Newbery honor award, Lewis Carroll Shelf award, the oldest picture book still in print), Nothing at All (Caldecott honor), ABC Bunny (Newbery Honor)

Pinduli
Janell Cannon, ASPC Henry Bergh Children's Books' Award
Harcourt, 2004

Pinduli, the hungry young hyena wanders off before supper time, and gets "lessons" from a variety of animals on how to be "better".  But the story takes a surprising turn, and Pinduli ends up having the last laugh in this tale of judgment, empathy and the animal kingdom. The story stayed with me after I'd left it, and the illustrations are rendered in Cannon's singularly recognizable style. Stellaluna is one of my top all-time-loved picture books. Pinduli is giving it a run for the money.

Other books by Jannell Cannon: Stellaluna, Crickwing, Verdi, Trupp: A Fuzzhead Tale

Castaway Cats
Lisa Wheeler
Ponder Goembel, illustrator
Atheneum Books for Young Readers,
A Richard Jackson Book/Simon & Schuster, 2006

So you might notice I reviewed one of Lisa's books earlier. First, this is with a different illustrator, second I love, Love, LOVE this combo, Lisa and Ponder together make some of my favorite picture books. Third, it's my blog and so there! Sorry, had to get it out of my system. I read this book out loud at the library and it captivated not just me, but the two girls, Alexis and Vicky as I did. I told them that Lisa had shared she sometimes sits under her trees and if her writing makes her giggle she knows she's on the right course and puts it in. I giggled a few times, and told them, I bet she giggled at that one.

It's a great rollicking rhyme tale of disaster, conflict and comraderie. Wheeler's rhyme is spot on and the irony and puns have the purrrr-fect balance to Goembel's bright colorations and superb strokes.

Other books by Lisa Wheeler: Sailor Moo (Ponder Goembel, illustrator); Dino Basketball (Barry Gott, illustrator); Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum (Harriet Kasak Portfolio and Laura Huliska Beith, illustrators); Jazz Baby (R. Gregory Christie, illustrator); Mammoth on the Move (Kurt Cyrus, illustrator); Ugly Pie (Heather Solomon, illustrator); The Pet Project: Cute and Cuddly Vicious Verses (Zachariah OHora, illustrator)

Other books by Ponder Goembel: Swamp Song (Helen Ketterman, author); Hi Pizza Man! (Virginia Walter, author); Old Cricket (Lisa Wheeler, author); Dinosnores (Kelly Dipucchio, author); Give Me Wings (Lee Bennett Hopkins, author); Animal Fair (Board Buddies); Mama Mine, Mama Mine (Rita Gray, author); Good Day, Good Night (Marilyn Singer, author); Mr. Mosquito Put on His Tuxedo (Barbara Olenyik Morrow, author);

Review Friday, and a coloring page...

An old rubberstamp reworked, still working the kinks out. If you download would you let me know how it looks either here (working on the comments problem) or Facebook. I won't post anything too risque, but I will mix up my coloring page with content not only for children, but this kind of thing as well (when I was a kid, I loved doing "fashion" drawings and made a lot of paper dolls to that end. Anyhow, please let me know if you like the coloring pages and feel free to share your results with me! Now to the reviews:

Kite Flying
Grace Lin
Alfred A. Knopf , 2002

Mei-mei and Jie-Jie make a dragon kite with their mom and dad. On a windy day a family enjoys the art of Chinese kite making, with that special added touch! This is a quickly told tale, the pieces of it rapidly coming together as fast as the hands and efforts of the family and the telling of the book itself. Lin is a master of making  illustrations of bright primary colored shapes with multi-layered patterns. The illustrations beam through the page.

Other books by Grace Lin:  Dumpling Days (a Pacy Lin novel); Ugly Vegetables; Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same; Dim Sum for Everyone; The Year of the Rat (a Pacy Lin novel); The Year of the Dog (a Pacy Lin novel); Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Newberry Honor, medal)

Stripes of all Types

Susan Stockdale

Peachtree Publications, 2013

Susan Stockdale also works in big graphics, though her colors are more muted, and the patterning exuberant in a different kind of way. The illustrations do nothing to tamp the beauty of the highly designed quality of the book. The characters whiz through in a simple rhyme, but there are slower activities and explanations at the end of the book that will continue to engage the curious reader. 

Other books by Susan Stockdale: Bring on the Birds; Fabulous Fishes; Carry Me, Animal Babies on the Move; Nature's Paintbrush, the Patterns and Colors Around You; Some Sleep Standing Up.

The Incredible Book Eating Boy
Oliver Jeffers
Philomel Books, 2006


This is a wry book with creative use of text that I don't mind at all (more often than not, books will sometimes sacrifice legibility for creativity, and that doesn't happen at all in this book). Jeffers book feels a bit like a sequential art(comic), graphic novel with great layering of textures and paint, pages, collaged into a wonderful book that for me is a bit reminiscent of Melissa Sweet or Lisa Kopelke's work-- very freeflowing painterly quality.  Henry decides to overeat his way to becoming the smartest boy in the world, which eventually backfires, but he eventually finds a  better solution.

Other books by Oliver Jeffers: The Day the Crayons Quit; Stuck; This Moose Belongs to Me; How to Catch a Star; The Heart and The Bottle; Lost and Found.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
William Joyce  and Joe Bluhm
Antheneum Books for Young Children,
Simon and Schuster, 2012

A must have for Joyce lovers, or those who loved the Oscar winning short. The warm sometimes glowing illustrations settle into the heart. Joyce is a genius at setting and character and color. The story of a lonely man who dedicates himself to the books which set him free, inspired the film, but the book's inception is no less inspirational and miraculous.  For any and all bibliophiles.

Other books by William Joyce: The Sandman (the Guardians of Childhood); The Man in the Moon(The Guardians of Childhood); A Day with Wilbur Robinson; George Shrinks (Reading Rainbow selection);  Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo (Reading Rainbow); Rolie Polie Olie;  Santa Calls.


There seems to be a real retro thing going on. So the coloring page for today was one of the old-timey rubberstamps I  had designed. Let me know how it prints out and what you think-- hope you like it!