The Childrens Book Review » Ages 4-8

Review: Gus Makes a Friend by Frank Remkiewicz

Bianca Schulze — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:40:32 +0000

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: February 9, 2012

Scholastic Reader Pre-Level 1: Gus Makes a Friend

By Frank Remkiewicz

Reading level: Ages 3 and up

Paperback: 24 pages

Publisher: Cartwheel Books (November 1, 2011)

Source: Publisher

What to expect: Friendship, Snow

Recognizable to many as the illustrator of Jack London’s Froggy series, Frank Remkiewicz has developed a new early reader series starring a sweet natured rhinoceros named Gus.

When he peers out the window and sees snow, Gus wants to go outside and play. His parents are both busy, so Gus uses initiative and builds himself a snowman named Snow Boy. The happy colored cartoon illustrations really help to bring the story to life—Gus is almost always smiling and all of the characters ooze a joy that subliminally encourages new readers to read on. The sentence structures are simple and short —the longest sentence is comprised of five words—yet, in Gus Makes a Friend, Remkiewicz still manages to pack entertainment into the large and easy-to-read text. Published by Scholastic as a level Pre 1 “First Reader,” “Gus” books are a great choice for preschoolers and kindergartners.

Add this book to your collection: Scholastic Reader Pre-Level 1: Gus Makes a Friend

Also recommended: Scholastic Reader Pre-Level 1: Gus Gets Scared

Visit: www.remki.com

Review: A Boy Called Dickens

Bianca Schulze — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:45:22 +0000

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: February 7, 2012

A Boy Called Dickens

By Deborah Hopkinson; Illustrated by John Hendrix

Reading level: Ages 4-9

Hardcover: 40 pages

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (January 10, 2012)

Source: Publisher

What to expect: Charles Dickens, London—19th Century, Fiction

In honor of the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth—February 7—Random House Children’s Books has published A Boy Called Dickens by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by John Hendrix.

Deborah Hopkinson has created an incisive and thought provoking picture book that introduces children to one of the greatest and most treasured writers of all time. Although it is fiction, Hopkinson has based the story on real moments from Dickens’ life. The captivating illustrations created by John Hendrix add mystique to the text. Graphite and pen-and-ink provide the gloominess and dinginess of old London, while fluid acrylics add personality to the people and rosiness to their cheeks—the time period in history is captured well.

Growing up extremely poor, Dickens had four things going for him: a pencil, a slate, a love of books and a dream to write stories of his own. Even though times were very tough and the young, hungry, penniless Charles Dickens had to work in a rat-infested blacking factory, he still managed to hold onto his dream. It is this theme that makes the story not only interesting, but empowering to young readers. A Boy Called Dickens is a Junior Library Guild selection—if you’re looking for a little slice of history a la mode, you’ll find this book to be delicious.

Add this book to your collection: A Boy Called Dickens

Wonderful Winter Books for Kids

Bianca Schulze — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:12:28 +0000

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: February 7, 2012

Over and Under the Snow

By Kate Messner; illustrated by Christpher Silas Neal

As a child skis down a mountain with her dad and spots a red squirrel disappearing down a crack, she asks the question: “Where did he go?” To which her dad responds: “Under the snow.” The little girl’s world suddenly expands as her mind is opened to a whole new natural world. Messner’s text appeals to the senses and her author’s note is educational and encourages children to take in their surrounding on their next snowy adventure. Neal’s mixed media illustrations have retro appeal and capture the wintery scenery well with the combination of cool colors and earthy tones. Animal, nature and science entusiasts will love this book—especially the facts provided in the back of the book about all of the animals featured in the story. (Ages 5-8. Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC)

Razzle-Dazzle Ruby

By Masha D’yans

Masha D’yans’ fantastical debut book Razzle-Dazzle Ruby is charmingly artistic. The illustrations are moving—literally. Every page of this novelty picture book offers a playful and enticing wintery wonderland for young readers to lose themselves in. Visit: www.razzledazzleruby.com (Ages 4-8. Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.)

I Am Small

By Emma Dodd

With an icy cold backdrop and splashes of shimmery silver on every second page, a little penguin manages to cope with the big obstacles in life—deep ocean and steep mountains—because of his mother’s warm love. Sweet with its repetitive text, I Am Small is a delightful little tale for mothers to share with their young ones. (Ages 0-3. Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.)

The Tree House

By Marije Tolman and Ronald Tolman

The Tree House is a wordless and imaginative wonder that enchants readers with its wide array of characters (Bears, pandas, rhinos, and birds of many feathers) that visit a tree house located in what seems to be the middle of nowhere. Each character is so different, yet they all manage to co-exist in the marvelous tree house. Pastel and mid-hue colors splash across beautiful double-page spreads of mixed media that emphasize the differences between the various animals and highlight the bonds of friendship that form. A delicate but powerful message awaits those who choose to ponder the elegance of this treasure. (Ages 3-5. Publisher: Lemniscaat USA)

Little Bea and the Snowy Day

By Daniel Roode

Daniel Roode has created a pitch-perfect, playful day in the snow. The full-color art created with Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop splashes brightly and lightly (the snowflakes gently flurry down) across every page. Large text and descriptive words evoke the senses so much that readers can easily imagine themselves playing along with Little Bea and her friends. When the day is over, Little Bea makes plans to see her friends tomorrow; my guess is that your little reader (or listener) will also be making plans for tomorrow: plans to read this book over-and-over-and-over again! (Ages 2-5. Publisher: HarperCollins)

Brave Irene

By William Steig

Those who are fans of award-winning William Steig will be excited to know that Brave Irene (the 1986 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year) has been rereleased in paperback. When Irene’s mother falls ill, Irene braves the harsh winter storm and its yodelling wind to deliver a dress to the duchess who lives over the mountain. Steig’s story showcases perseverance and the wonderful bond between a mother and her daughter. As the pages turn, the illustrations become progressively darker in tone adding dramatics to the entertaining text, before they lighten and brighten for the happy ending. A *cool* choice for winter reading. (Ages 4-8. Publisher: Square Fish)

President Books for Presidents Day

Bianca Schulze — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:24:26 +0000

By Nina Schuyler, The Children’s Book Review
Published: February 6, 2012

Whatever your view of President Barak Obama, he has breathed new life into the iconic American wish, “When I grow up, I want to be president.” Not a blue blood or an actor or a gazillionaire, Obama has made the desire seem not so crazy.

If you want to inspire your little one, if your kid has a book report due, or if you just want to talk about some of the great men (yes, well, all men) who’ve led this country, there are loads of new books to choose from.

My First Biography: Abraham Lincoln

By Marion Dane Bauer; Illustrated by Liz Goulet Dubois

In simple-to-read sentences, My First Biography: Abraham Lincoln provides an overview of this great man. “A lot of people were surprised when Lincoln won. How could a man born in a log cabin be president?” It’s an art, really, to turn history into something understandable to a kindergartener. (Ages 3-5. Publisher: Scholastic Inc.)

Those Rebels, John & Tom

By Barbara Kerley; Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

John and Tom are John Adams (2^nd President of the United States) and Thomas Jefferson (3^rd President) and Those Rebels, John & Tom humanizes this duo by comparing them, weaving together biography and history to tell their story. “John liked to talk. And talk.” “Tom was shy, and dreaded speaking in front of crowds.” Despite their differences, they had something in common: they both despised the tyrannical King George of England. With John’s powers of persuasion and Tom’s skill with a pen, the two joined forces to break America free from England. Tom works out the Declaration of Independence, trying to craft “an expression of the American mind.” While John sets out to persuade the naysayers in Congress. Bright cartoonish illustrations take up most of the page, so your young reader is not overwhelmed by text. (Ages 7-10.Publisher: Scholastic Press)

I Grew Up to be President

By Laurie Calkhoven; Illustrated by Rebecca Zomchek

For each president, starting with George Washington and ending with Barak Obama, I Grew Up to be President gives a two-page spread, including when and where the president was born, the name of his wife, children, political party, vice president and when and where he died. To keep things interesting, Calkhoven includes the quirky or odd. By the time George Washington was president, for instance, he had only one real tooth left. When Thomas Jefferson was president, he received an unusual gift—two grizzly bear cubs. Before Richard Nixon got involved in politics, he wanted to be an FBI agent, but his application was rejected. And Obama? He made a small change to the annual White House picnic for the members of Congress—he threw a luau, with flowers, leis, Hawaiian food and hula dancers. (Ages 7-10. Publisher: Scholastic Inc.)

The Handy Presidents Answer Book, 2^nd Edition

By David L. Hudson Jr., JD.

If there’s something you need to know, if you’re selected for a presidential trivia game show, if you want to impress people with White House facts, you want to own this book. Why didn’t Roosevelt win the Medal of Honor? Which of Jimmy Carter’s cabinet appointees became the country’s first African American female to serve in that office? What was unusual about the 1948 election? (If you had the book, you could answer all these and more!) At 501 pages (including the index), The Handy Presidents Answer Book covers all the presidents, detailing their early life and family, early career, political offices, presidency and post presidency. It also includes basic information about the presidency, the parties, and presidential elections. Wisely, Hudson relies heavily on subtitles, which break up the text and highlight key points. (Answer to the last trivia question: The 1948 election was unusual because the newspapers and pollsters wrongly predicted Dewey would defeat Truman). (Ages 9+. Publisher: Visible Ink Press)

Nina Schuyler‘s first novel, The Painting, (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill/2004), was a finalist for the Northern California Book Awards. It was also selected by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the Best Books for 2004 and a “Great Debut from 2004″ by the Rocky Mountain News. She currently teaches creative writing at the University of San Francisco and is working on a third novel.

Best New Books for Valentine’s Day

Bianca Schulze — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:37:37 +0000

By Nicki Richesin, The Children’s Book Review
Published: February 6, 2012

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and you know what that means: time to read some love stories! Below are just a few selections with which you’re sure to fall in love. So snuggle up with your favorite little reader and share a good laugh, a cuddle, and a whole lotta love.

Mr. Prickles

By Kara LaReau; illustrated by Scott Magoon

Even though Mr. Prickles may be prickly on the outside, he’s warm and fuzzy on the inside and looking for someone to see past his rough exterior. Thank goodness for Miss Pointypants who knows a thing or two about being judged on her sharp appearance. The deeper message LaReau humorously imparts is how to control one’s anger when ostracized by friends. Little kids who have been banished from the sandbox will love Mr. Prickles. (Ages 2-6. Publisher: Roaring Brook Press)

A Giant Crush

By Gennifer Choldenko; illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Ah, young love. This book is absolutely perfect for second and third graders confused by their beloved’s sudden mood swings. When a little bunny falls in love with another funny bunny, what’s a bunny to do? Leave it to a good friend to help him unravel the mysteries and agonies of a first crush. First rule of thumb: you have to speak to the one you love. (Ages 5-8. Publisher: Penguin Group (USA))

Love, Splat

By Rob Scotton

This tale about two star-crossed cats is seriously funny. Scotton’s silly illustrations of Splat the Cat reminded me just a bit of Garfield, but his story is pure fun. Splat goes to great lengths to impress his lady love, Kitten, but when Spike intervenes, it seems all is lost. Leave it to Kitten, with her feline prowess, to choose the best suitor to win her affections. (Ages 4-7. Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers)

Hedgehug

By Benn Sutton; illustrated by Dan Pinto

Two books about pointy critters in one review? Yes, indeed. In this “sharp lesson in love,” Hedgehug discovers love hurts after his many failed attempts to share a hug. In Sutton’s playful yet tender story, Hedgehug will also find all you need is love. (Ages 4-7. Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers)

Henry’s Heart

By Charise Mericle Harper

Harper’s informative look at the functions and needs of a growing boy’s heart features amusing illustrations of Henry’s friends and family members’ running commentary on his predicament. In the end, Henry learns how to take care of himself, his heart, and his new canine friend. Harper sweetly dedicates Henry’s Heart to the students of Daniel Warren Elementary School (listing every student’s name in the front of the book). (Ages 5-8. Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR))

The Best Kind of Kiss

By Margaret Allum; illustrated by Jonathan Bentley

For daddy’s girls everywhere, the best kind of kiss is found in the arms of good ol’ pop. Whether making up, cuddling or bidding a fond farewell, you can say it with a kiss to build a dream on. Bentley’s imaginative illustrations will make you want to pucker up with your sweetie. (Ages 3-6. Publisher: Walker & Company)

Big Hugs, Little Hugs

By Felicia Bond

Bestselling artist of If You Give A Mouse a Cookie, Felicia Bond, has created a fitting tribute to hugs for all sorts of lovable creatures including hamsters, hippos, kangaroos, and penguins. Her cut paper artwork will inspire children to create their own designs. (Ages 3-5. Publisher: Penguin Group (USA))

Just Because You’re Mine

By Sally Lloyd-Jones; illustrated by Frank Endersby

Little Red Squirrel plays a guessing game with his father as to why he loves him. Endersby’s delicate paintings of the squirrels’ adventures are well-matched with Lloyd-Jones’s touching story. (Ages 3-7. Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers)

Amelia Bedelia’s First Valentine

By Herman Parish; illustrated by Lynne Avril

Although Amelia Bedelia often misunderstands common expressions, (and thus provides children endless belly laughs) she resourcefully solves a problem and saves her Valentine’s Day class party. Perhaps best of all, little Amelia Bedelia has a very big heart and gratitude for her doting parents. Peggy Parish’s nephew Herman carries on the tradition with his modern update on the classic series of beloved books. (Ages 5-8. Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books)

Time for a Hug

By Phillis Gershator and Mim Green; illustrated by David Walker

In simple yet playful rhyme, mother-daughter duo Gershator and Green insist that children know it’s always time for a hug. David Walker’s charming illustrations of the rabbit family’s routine day, working and playing together, offers comfort and reassurance to little readers. (Ages 3-5. Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books)

Nicki Richesin is the editor of four anthologies,What I Would Tell Her: 28 Devoted Dads on Bringing Up, Holding On To, and Letting Go of Their Daughters; Because I Love Her: 34 Women Writers Reflect on the Mother-Daughter Bond; Crush: 26 Real-Life Tales of First Love; and The May Queen: Women on Life, Work, and Pulling it all Together in your Thirties. Her anthologies have been excerpted and praised in The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Boston Globe, Redbook, Parenting, Cosmopolitan, Bust, Salon, Daily Candy, and Babble.

February 2012: Best Selling Kids’ Books, New Releases, and More …

Bianca Schulze — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:46:07 +0000

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: February 4, 2012

Here’s the scoop on the most popular destinations on The Children’s Book Review site, the most coveted new releases and bestsellers.

THE HOT SPOTS: THE TRENDS

Award-Winning Illustrator Marla Frazee & the Best Interview Ever

Kids Winter Books: Snow, mittens, polar bears and other arctic animals

Caldecott Medal, 2012

Newbery Medal Winners, 2012

Where to Find Free eBooks for Children Online

THE NEW RELEASES

The most coveted books that release this month:

Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet

by Jane O’Connor

(Ages 4-7)

And Then It’s Spring

by Julie Fogliano

(Ages 4-7)

Listen to My Trumpet!

by Mo Willems

(Ages 4-8)

Pandemonium (Delirium)

by Lauren Oliver

(Young Adult)

Fallen in Love: A Fallen Novel in Stories

by Lauren Kate

(Ages 12-17)

THE BEST SELLERS

The best selling children’s books this month:

PICTURE BOOKS

I Want My Hat Back

by Jon Klassen

(Ages 4-8)

Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site

by Sherri Duskey Rinker (Author), Tom Lichtenheld (Illustrator)

(Ages 4-8)

If You Give a Dog a Donut

by Laura Numeroff (Author), Felicia Bond (Illustrator)

(Ages 3-7)

The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse

by Eric Carle

(Ages 0-5)

The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories

by Dr. Seuss

(Ages 6-9)

_______

CHAPTER BOOKS

Heroes of Olympus, The, Book Two: The Son of Neptune

by Rick Riordan

(Ages 9-11)

The LEGO Ideas Book

by Daniel Lipkowitz

(Ages 8-12)

The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero

by Rick Riordan

(Ages 9-12)

Wonderstruck

by Brian Selznick

(Ages 9-12)

Every Thing On It

by Shel Silverstein

(Ages 8-11)

_______

PAPERBACK BOOKS

Switched (Trylle Trilogy)

by Amanda Hocking

(Ages 12 and up)

War Horse

by Michael Morpurgo

(Ages 9-12)

The Red Pyramid

by Rick Riordan

(Ages 10 and up)

The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak

(Ages 14 and up)

Thirteen Reasons Why

by Jay Asher

(Ages 12 and up)

_______

SERIES BOOKS

Inheritance

by Christopher Paolini

(Young Adult)

Magic Tree House

by Mary Pope Osbourne

(Ages 6 to 9)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians

by Rick Riordan

(Ages 9 to 12)

Hunger Games Trilogy Boxset

by Suzanne Collins

(Ages 12 and up)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

by Jeff Kinney

(Ages 9 to 12)

This information was gathered from the New York Times Best Sellers list, which reflects the sales of books from books sold nationwide, including independent and chain stores. It is correct at the time of publication and presented in random order. Visit: www.nytimes.com.

Award-Winning Illustrator Marla Frazee & the Best Interview Ever

Bianca Schulze — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:50:03 +0000

By Nicki Richesin, The Children’s Book Review
Published: January 30, 2012

Marla Frazee

Marla Frazee is the award-winning author and illustrator of many celebrated bestselling books including The Seven Silly Eaters, Stars, The Boss Baby, Roller Coaster, and the Clementine series. Her acclaimed books All the World and A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever received the Caldecott Honor Award. She lives in southern California with her husband and three sons, where she works in a backyard studio under an avocado tree. I’m willing to bet she makes some crazy delicious guacamole.

Nicki Richesin: You knew from a very young age that you wanted to become a children’s book illustrator. It must have felt incredibly gratifying when A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever won the Caldecott Honor Award. How does it feel now looking back on your youth and realizing your single-minded determination and drive has helped you achieve your goal?

Marla Frazee: You mean aside from making me feel old? Well, I guess I had determination and drive to some extent, but when I compare my growing up years to my children’s growing up years, I honestly feel like I was a slacker! I just loved children’s books, and I loved drawing and reading and writing stuff, and I never stopped loving all of that. I did get very serious in college – I attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and the program was so grueling that I hardly retain any memories of that time because I was so sleep-deprived.

NR: Your latest book Stars is a gorgeous, magical book about stars and all their practical applications, but it’s also about wishing. Could you tell us a bit about working on this project?

MF: When I first read Mary Lyn Ray’s manuscript, it reminded me of A Hole is to Dig with its seemingly random, childlike sentences and it’s high-wire act of how-is-she-gonna-pull-this-off, oh-my-god-she-just-did! I thought it would be impossible to illustrate, which is why it was so intriguing. I spent many months just thinking about it before I started sketching. It is always fascinating when a book begins to take form, because it goes from being abstract to tangible almost on its own accord. I am often surprised by this, even though I am making it.

I work very closely throughout this process with my editor, Allyn Johnston, VP and Publisher of Beach Lane Books, and we discuss the emergent book at every single stage of its development. I depend on that give-and-take very much.

When it was time to paint the finishes for Stars, I had to make an effort to slow myself down. Some of the paintings in Stars were laborious. Hundreds of layers of watercolor, hundreds of snowflakes, hundreds of mossy stars, etc. But it was calming, too, and I usually need to calm down.

NR: Many of our TCBR readers are aspiring authors and will be encouraged to learn that it took you a long time to break into children’s book publishing. You worked in advertising, educational publishing, and toys and games wherein your artwork was used to communicate messages or teach something, but with children’s books you had to tell a story. You’ve said it took you quite a while to develop this storytelling component in your illustrations. How did you eventually learn to do it?

MF: Yes, it is always helpful to hear a story such as mine and I am more than happy to share it. Even now, I get all prickly when I hear about someone who was offered a contract by the first publisher who saw their work or someone whose first book hit #1 on the NYT bestseller list. I hate those kind of stories. I’m all for delayed gratification.

What I had to do was learn how to tell stories with my pictures. At first I didn’t even know what that meant because I thought I was already doing it. After all these years of drawing stories and trying to teach it, I think it boils down to a pretty simple rule: it takes time to get to know the characters in a book and the world they inhabit. My first sketches are always horrible. Stereotypical. Contrived. Generic. I have to put in the time in order to deepen them and have it all mean something.

NR: In the Clementine books, you wanted your images to hearken back to that era and to look as if they came from that time. You’ve said you’d like your work to appear as “fresh as paint, but to have been around long enough to be a classic.” How do you accomplish this in your illustrations?

MF: This is a hard question! No one has ever asked me that before.

I work on the book’s structure before I know what the content of each illustration will be. I think there was a formality to the classic books I admire and I try to riff on (or out-and-out rip off!) some aspect of that with each book. I never just wing it when it comes to structure – and I’m referring here to the pagination and layout of words and pictures within the picture book form. I plan it out, using the rhythm and meaning of the manuscript to dictate what the relationship between words and pictures should be on the page.

NR: When you’re searching for a manuscript to illustrate, you look for a challenging and exciting project- almost like a puzzle you want to understand. You work on a book for about a year. At which point in this process, do you usually feel as if you’ve begun to solve the puzzle?

MF: I definitely feel like it is solved when I have a finished sketch dummy, with text and images in place, page turns figured out, content in the pictures established. Before that, it is all in flux. By the time I start to paint, I’ve got a pretty good handle on what is going on with the book. Then it is a matter of executing it. Sometimes there is a lot of trial and error in the beginning of the painting process before I get a sense of the materials and color palette I want to use. But that’s a different and lesser challenge to me, because by that time, the puzzle of the manuscript is solved.

NR: I loved one of your earlier books called Mrs. Biddlebox about a frustrated crank who decides to bake a cake to lift her mood. I was shocked to learn that the author Linda Smith died the same year this book was published. I wondered whether you knew Linda personally and if her death affected your work on Mrs. Biddlebox?

MF: I didn’t get to meet Linda in person, but we spoke on the phone a few times. I called her to see if there was anything she might want to share with me about the book. This is not the way it typically works between authors and illustrators, of course. Usually discussions about the development of a book go through the editor. But I knew that there was a chance Linda would never get to see the finished book and I felt it was important for me to hear what she might want to say. I’m glad I did, because Linda died before I even started the first sketches.

Linda was very professional during our phone conversation and didn’t want to influence my thinking, but she finally shared some of her thoughts. One was that Mrs. Biddlebox should have a pet of some kind, and she suggested a mangy dog or a skinny cat or something. In the initial sketches, I drew Mrs. Biddlebox with a dog and a cat and then a goat and I even tried a raccoon. Finally I settled on the goose. It seemed right. It turns out that Linda used to have a goose named Gabby who would follow her around and bite her through her jeans. Linda’s husband and kids said Linda would have been delighted with Mrs. Biddlebox and her goose. This convinced me that I was taking good care of Linda’s brilliant story, even though she wasn’t alive to see the finished book.

While I illustrated Mrs. Biddlebox, it was often hard to keep from focusing on the sadness of Linda’s death and still honor her wickedly subversive and darkly funny manuscript. It was a balancing act, and maybe because of that it remains one of the most gratifying projects I’ve worked on.

NR: You received the Caldecott Honor Award in 2009 for A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever. You must be grateful that you created this thank-you card/book at your editor’s suggestion. Did it feel different working on a project that sort of documents your son’s adventures rather than working on a fictional project that another author dreamed up?

MF: Absolutely. My editor (whose son is the other boy in the story) and I were often worried that we were engaged in a vanity project, God forbid. Luckily we never thought this at the same moment or we would’ve bagged it. But one of us was always convincing the other that there was something happening with it that was worth our attention. As the book came into being, the story began to take on a life of its own. Basically, A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever is a highly fictionalized account of a very real week. The emotions are all true. The events, well, not so much.

NR: The Seven Silly Eaters is a family favorite in our home. I especially love that Mrs. Peters found the time to play her cello, as if! Could you describe how you first brought the Peters’s family’s adventures to life with your humorous and lively pictures?

MF: Mary Ann Hoberman is brilliant, of course. But the premise of The Seven Silly Eaters – seven children, all of them with weird eating issues, and a mother who is actually attempting to meet their needs – is almost disturbing. The challenge was how to temper it. Linda Zuckerman, my first editor and the editor of The Seven Silly Eaters, thought the way to do that was to illustrate it with animal characters. But I really wanted it to be a human family. I related very strongly with the mother. The story is really about how she is pulled in all directions by the demands of raising children. What parent among us can’t relate to that?

I felt the cello was a way of reinforcing the mother’s identity. She is in danger of seeming like a dishrag. I also pared down the world this family exists in. They have no neighbors, no jobs, no car, no phones, no TV. And I put a dad in the book. Mary Ann Hoberman never mentions a dad in the text. Imagine. A woman having a baby every time there’s a page turn? With no dad in the picture? THAT wouldn’t have worked at all! Of course, he’s implied. But it is amazing how when we look at picture books, it is often hard to remember what story is being told in the words and what story is being told in the pictures. And that’s how it should be – a seamless experience of words and pictures telling a larger story together than could be told by either the words or pictures alone. That is what we aim for every time up to bat.

NR: Your Caldecott Honor Award-winning All the World is truly a masterpiece. It somehow subtly balances the stunning splendor of the world (in your illustrations) with the beautiful simplicity of the poetic text (by Liz Garton Scanlon). I’d love to know more about your creative process on this book.

MF: Liz Garton Scanlon’s manuscript is an incredible mix of expansiveness, intimacy, specificity, poetry, emotion, and universal truth. When Allyn sent it to me seconds after she received it, she didn’t wait in a polite way to see if I would be interested. She demanded that I drop what I was doing and start illustrating this thing called All the World right away! This is not the way we usually talk about new projects. There is typically a lot of hemming and hawing and whatnot. But as soon as I read it, I understood where she was coming from.

All the World was daunting. The challenge here, for me, was how to portray “all the world.” An impossible task. When I am confronted with an illustrative problem that seems insurmountable, it is usually that I am thinking too literally and I need to find the emotional truth of whatever it is I’m trying to figure out. In the case of All the World, I decided that no one – certainly not me – has ever experienced “all the world,” but we all have the sense that we belong here. On good days, at least. When I personally feel like I belong to the world, it is because I am with people I love in places I love. So I decided that would be my solution. I set All the World in a place I love – the central coast region of Southern California – and populated it with people and things that I love. I stopped worrying that I wasn’t representing every place, every person, every possible experience. And I hoped that through this personal expression of mine, others would find their own personal meanings as well.

I do believe this to be the over-arching philosophy behind most of the books I’ve fallen in love with over the years. The more personal and heartfelt the story is for the author and/or illustrator of the book, the more universal the emotion that can be gleaned from it. We see this again and again. But it’s hard to remember. It is so easy to go to a place of, “Well, that’s just about me. No one will care about that.” But actually, if it comes from a true place and is spoken from the heart, people do care. A lot.

NR: Could you tell us a bit about your upcoming book Boot & Shoe and any other projects you’re working on?

MF: I’ve just put the finishing touches on Boot & Shoe. It’s about two (almost) identical dogs who live in the same house – one spending his days on the front porch and one spending his days on the back porch. This is the perfect arrangement for them, until a squirrel comes along and seriously messes with their heads. The most difficult thing about Boot & Shoe was keeping it light and not bogging it down with extraneous detail. I hope I did that. I think I did, because when I look at the completed book, I wonder why on earth it was so hard to do. It seems like it should’ve been so easy. I think that’s a good sign. I am going to take it that way because otherwise I’m just beating myself up.

Now I’m beginning work on the 6th book in Sara Pennypacker’s Clementine series. There will be 7 altogether. Sara is bringing this series to a close in the most amazing way.

My next project after that is still under wraps because it involves a book with a text that was published previously, but was not illustrated. I’m very excited about it. And in preparation, I’ve signed up for an oil painting class at Art Center. So I am suddenly a student again, instead of a teacher, working totally out of my comfort zone.

That’s got to be good, right?

Review: Coral Reefs by Jason Chin

Bianca Schulze — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:53:06 +0000

By Nina Schuyler, The Children’s Book Review
Published: January 27, 2012

Coral Reefs

By Jason Chin

Reading level: Ages 5 and up

Hardcover: 40 pages

Publisher: Flash Point (October 25, 2011)

Source: Publisher

What to expect: Science, Nature, Biology, Marine life, Water

Jason Chin does something pretty wonderful in his nonfiction book, Coral Reefs: He hasn’t forgotten the wild imagination of a kid.

What makes Coral Reefs unique is that along with loads of interesting information, he’s included colorful watercolor illustrations that tell their own story. In a sense he is blurring the boundary between fiction and nonfiction. The result is something completely engaging. And this hybrid form dishes out just enough facts without overwhelming. So you learn that though coral reefs may look like plants, they’re actually animals; and at the same time, the pictures, which often take up more than half the page, tell the story of a girl who goes to the library and picks up a book about coral reefs.

You learn coral reefs are the largest structures built by an animal on earth! The Belize barrier reef is over 180 miles long!; and at the same time, the illustrations show the girl’s world transforming, with the library slipping away and turning into coral, along with sea plants and fish. “There are so many species living in reefs that they are often called the cities of the sea,” writes Chin. And the water whooshes into the library, and the girl is swept up on a wave that carries with it octopus, sea turtles, fish and more coral. Very quickly, the girl is floating underwater, exploring and learning about the city of the sea. It’s a city, Chin tells us, with “a complex web of relationships, and each has its own place in the system.”

“There are so many species living in reefs that they are often called the cities of the sea,”

After you’ve fallen in love with coral reefs and the teeming life that calls it home—“More than four thousand kinds of fish and thousands of other species have been discovered in coral reefs—more than in any other part of the ocean”—after he’s completely hooked you, Chin has bad news. The reefs, just like so many other living things, are threatened by pollution and over-fishing. Thankfully, he gives a list of things you can do to help. You can—and you’ll want to—form a relationship with the reefs.

Add this book to your collection: Coral Reefs

(Theodor Seuss) Geisel Award, 2012

Bianca Schulze — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:47:02 +0000

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: January 23, 2012

Medal Winner

Honor Book

“The Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.” ~ALSC

Caldecott Medal, 2012

Bianca Schulze — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:15:28 +0000

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: January 23, 2012

Medal Winner

Honor Book

“The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.” ~ALSC