The Childrens Book Review » Books by Format

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

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.

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

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.

Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, 2012

Bianca Schulze — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:52:16 +0000

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: January 25, 2012

Winner

Honor Book

“The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association. The award is sponsored by Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association.” ~YALSA

(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

Newbery Medal Winners, 2012

Bianca Schulze — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:46:09 +0000

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

Medal Winner

Honor Book

“The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” ~ALSC

The Year of the Dragon in 3D – A Peek ‘n Play Story App

Bianca Schulze — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:19:47 +0000

Have you used this app? Rate it:
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Video courtesy of MobadMedia: 2012 is the Year of the Dragon! Dominic’s proud parents rule the sea and sky, advise the Emperor, and have high expectations for their son. Meanwhile Dom befriends the boy Bo and the other zodiac animals, who wish to paddle a boat in the village’s annual river race. But when other people and Dom’s parents disapprove, what will Dom do? Discover Dom’s ingenious solution in this enthusiastic tale!

Mobad Media transforms Oliver Chin’s fantastic children’s book into an extraordinary 3D experience for the iPad, iPhone 4, and Mac.

This stunning app also makes a great gift for anybody born in 2012 and any of the other Years of the Dragon.

★ 1916 ★ 1928 ★ 1940 ★ 1952 ★ 1964 ★ 1976 ★ 1988 ★ 2000 ★ 2012 ★ 2024 ★

People born in the Year of the Dragon are strong and passionate, as well as idealistic and independent. But they can flare with emotion and be temperamental risk-takers. However, dragons are energetic and shoulder responsibility well, which make them the most reliable companions.

Praise for the hardcover release:

“Favorite Chinese New Year Books for Kids: a planned 12-book series that introduces children to the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Oliver Chin introduces young readers to the characteristics of each zodiac animal through lively stories accompanied by exuberant illustrations.” – China Sprout

“This bright and playful story makes the ancient tradition of the Chinese zodiac accessible to children everywhere.” – Paper Tigers

“Chin continues to creatively reveal the virtues of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac through his series.” – BookDads

“I simply love this book. The richness of the color and the content…The Year of the Dragon is simply fantastic.” – Mike Lee, Tien Wah Press

“Perfect timing with the Lunar New Year.” – Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

“Thanks so much for letting me see your work – it’s really fantastic.” – Samantha Brody, associate editor of Scholastic’s Parent & Child magazine

Features:
• “Read To Me” highlights the words to improve reading skills
• “I Can Read” allows reading at your own pace
• Individual words can be tapped and multiple words selected to hear that section of the story played back
• Interactive surprises and hidden objects on every page
• Original music and soothing narration
• Hints can be turned on to assist in finding interactive thingamabobs
• Auto Play available if you want to watch the story unfold like a movie

Fancy Nancy Dress Up App

Bianca Schulze — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:00:39 +0000

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[ratings]

Video courtesy of HarperKids: Make Nancy look extra fancy in this first-ever official Fancy Nancy game app! Nancy’s going to a splendid soiree—that’s fancy for party! Read her storybook and then create fancy outfits on every page. After all, no one knows how to dress up like Fancy Nancy!

Fancy Nancy has captured the hearts of readers, and with over 20 million books in print, she’s ready to make her dress-up app debut. With hundreds of possible outfits, and fun and fancy backgrounds and stickers to choose from, fans will love dressing up Nancy and making their very own Fancy Fashion Story. Ooh la la!

Purchase the app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch!

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Bianca Schulze — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:56:55 +0000

Reading level: Ages 14 and up

Add this book to your collection: Everneath

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Video courtesy of harperteen: “Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.”